HUBBALLI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state government would take an appropriate decision after a thorough study of the report submitted by retired high court judge H N Nagamohan Das on the controversial issue of separate religion status for Lingayats, but denied that his government had exerted pressure on the seven-member committee to submit its report early.
Dismissing as baseless charges that he would attempt to derive political mileage by driving a wedge between Veerashaivas and Lingayats, the Chief Minister told the media that he would initiate the next move after obtaining a report from Karnataka State Minorities Commission. “Justice Nagamohan Das has submitted the report to Karnataka State Minorities Commission. But, the state government has not yet received the report. I will look into it only after obtaining it. But, I never pressurised the panel to give its report early”, he added.
Ridiculing the claim of BJP leaders that Congress would be voted out of Karnataka, the Chief Minister said the opposite would be reality post Assembly polls in Karnataka. Leaders of BJP were under an illusion that they would wrest power in the state. In response to a question of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s decision to skip a meeting with farmers agitation for settlement of the dispute over sharing water of the river Mahadayi, Mr Siddaramaiah said the Congress leader was not even aware of the fact that these farmers were waiting for him at Hubballi airport because they had not informed party general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal or his personal secretary rather than the personnel of Special Protection Group (SPG). The Chief Minister said Mr Gandhi would commence the third leg of his tour in Mysuru region on March 20.
